Miles Jezuita

Foundation Year 2017-18Arts University Bournemouth, BA Animation

I used to go to the Young Artists Life Drawing programme on
Saturdays and I heard about The Foundation Year from the tutor there. Until
that point, I hadn’t thought about doing a foundation; I thought I wanted to go
straight onto an Animation degree course. But after going to an Open Day and speaking
to the tutors, I realised how much I could still develop my practical skills,
especially drawing which is so vital to animation. I had also read one story in
the prospectus about a student who had discovered his passion for animation
whilst on the Foundation Year, which convinced me further to apply; other
courses didn’t seem to value animation as much.

In the beginning, we did receive a lot of guidance, which
you could compare to being in school, but it was nothing like A-Level. With
every workshop and every piece of work I made, it felt like I was being pushed
and challenged to make the most out of my ideas rather than to fit the
requirements of an exam board. I think this has changed the way I work a lot
because it means I’m way more critical and aware of basic things that you just
don’t think about at A-Level. Keeping up with the full time schedule and extra
sketchbook work has been challenging though – it feels like I just never stop
thinking about my work and art in general. However, this just means I’ll be
able to keep up my Fine Art practice at university and I feel prepared for it, so
it’s difficult to complain!

Throughout the course of the year my way of working has
really developed. It seems so simple, but I had never thought to work from
sketches and my own drawings instead of photographs. This focus on observing
and translating my own unique point of view into my practice is definitely
something I will continue with. Reading and researching artists for myself has
also helped me mature, it’s forced me out of working in my own little bubble, and
encouraged me to develop my ideas. I also can’t understate the value of having
my own studio space and so much time to talk with other students and tutors. It
is incredibly humbling and inspiring just to walk around the shared spaces
during break or to overhear some great advice in someone else’s tutorial. The
importance of these things only sinks in over time, but when I reflect on it,
just being surrounded by hugely talented people has influenced me a lot.

The tutors that teach on The Foundation Year are so knowledgeable
and passionate – they’ve made me enjoy things I’d never considered doing. I
remember the casting workshops and found objects sculpture workshops in
particular; they helped me finally understand how to think and work
three-dimensionally. Every tutor has something completely different to offer
and with each chat, either in tutorials or workshops, it felt like I had a whole
new breakthrough. Tutors were just so invested in what we were saying; they
challenged my ideas and were actually interested in helping me develop.

My final major project is a reflection upon my childhood,
and how difficult it is to connect with different sides of myself that only
live in the past – especially as a transgender person. I have been exploring
this through different methods, but the project will culminate with a long,
narrative painting set in my grandparents’ estate in Warsaw, which is where I
was born and spent a lot of time as a child.

Next year I am going to study Animation Production at Arts
University Bournemouth, because even though the course has made me fall in love
with Fine Art, it’s made me want to pursue animation even more. I now realise
that I can combine the two practices and still experiment with different media
and techniques in whatever non-conventional ways I want. I will still be
painting and making art alongside my course, it has become a big part of how my
mind works now.